A Winter’s Tale: All that’s palatable about the season
Winter connotes dark, cold, dreary days, most of which we spend indoors, in stark contrast to summer’s warm, long, lazy days, unless the heat and humidity are so high that we stay inside, cooled by air conditioning.
Winter takes work. Just going outside to pick up the mail or newspaper (yes, some of us still read the news in print) or walking the dog can be daunting. Boots, hat, gloves, scarf, puffer coat, hand warmers, two pairs of cute patterned socks, and multiple layers underneath. By the time you put all that clothing on, you’re too tired to move and are walking like Frankenstein.
Instead of complaining “in your brain” about how cold you are as the wind howls and you’re freezing, accept the reality that it’s cold, dress appropriately and know that it won’t last forever.
Despite the work and the cold, some of our readers prefer winter over the hot days of summer.
Here’s what a few said:
S: We can always add more clothing to stay warm, but when it’s 90-plus with humidity, we cannot shed our clothing. The heat and humidity are oppressive.
M: Winter is a great time to cocoon. I like to get cozy under lots of covers or a fluffy down quilt.
R: I love to start a fire and grab a good book.
D: A time to play chef and experiment in the kitchen. You are stuck, perhaps indoors, and bake or perfect some hearty food recipes that you shed during the summer as too heavy to digest on a hot day.
M: A great time to sip hot cocoa. Nothing is as yummy as hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows, or some like it with whipped cream and hot, hot, hot.
B: A time to prepare a hearty chicken stew, a traditional beef stew or risotto with mushrooms and truffle oil since you have lots of time for a recipe to simmer and for you to stir! Moreover, leftovers can be frozen. And if you have time, you can add popovers, sweet butter or strawberry jam and a crisp salad (the scare about lettuce seems to be over or avoid iceberg for more interesting greens).
Staying warm in winter can be challenging, but there are ways to make it fun and even palatable, so much so that maybe you won’t count down the days until summer. And we love Melissa Kirsch’s take on how to deal with winter in her column, “Hunkering Down,” in The New York Times (Nov. 7, 2026) when she said, “A bromating reptile remains somewhat aware and responsive to their surroundings,” versus a hibernating one that goes into the equivalent of a deep freeze. So be a reptile for winter.
Read our list:
If you like to walk outdoors year-round, it’s time to invest in better winter clothing. Wear several layers, such as the extra-warm tops and tights from Uniqlo, the Japanese manufacturer. You might choose mittens instead of gloves. Clustering your fingers together helps retain body heat.
Wear a cute knit hat to keep your head warm. Heat escapes upward, so contain it to stay warmer. Keep your torso insulated too. That often keeps your arms, legs, hands, and feet warm.
Invest in good boots with good traction so you don’t slip and fall. Rugged mountaineering boots can help prevent falls; Uggs are warm and comfortable.
Stay dry. Invest in a synthetic moisture-wicking fabric (the process of moving moisture away from your skin during any physical activity). Maybe if it's really cold weather or snowy, water-resistant snow pants might be a good purchase.
If you own a car, invest in an app that enables you to turn on the car before you enter so it can be a bit warmer.
Rent a place, take a short vacation somewhere warm or move to Florida, and don’t travel anywhere cold or north during the winter. The Arctic can wait, though we hope the polar bears survive and all ice doesn’t melt.
Cook. Using the oven will help keep your kitchen and surroundings warm, but don’t use the oven to heat your home. How delicious to pop a hot cookie or freshly made slice of warm banana bread into your mouth on a cold afternoon.
Make a casserole with macaroni and cheese for supper—the fancy ones use multiple types of cheese and crispy breadcrumbs on top--or have breakfast for dinner—fluffy pancakes or French toast with cinnamon from challah and a pile of crisp bacon.
Since viruses tend to flourish in winter, make a large pot of Jewish penicillin, hot chicken soup with matzoh balls, rice or noodles or all three and add some diced carrots and celery. Everyone has a recipe.
Get moving. Standing still, like waiting for a bus or cab, makes you even colder. Walk back and forth. Jump rope, walk up and down stairs in a house or walk the hallways in an apartment. You need your body to produce heat in any way it can by staying in motion.
Get a space heater if you’re cold in your home. Put it at least a yard or more away from you to stay toasty. And remember always to turn it off before you go to sleep or go outside.
Wear two pairs of wool socks when you go out to keep your feet warm. Doing so will also make you feel warmer all over. Even better splurge as one of us does and invest in cashmere socks from Hansel from Basel; pricey but warm and they’ll last.
Buy layers for underneath; we love the Uniqlo site for its warmest tops and leggings and socks. You can never have too many socks!
Buy some small old-fashioned-style plaid to wrap yourself in when you read indoors; get an extra one for your car.
Take a hot shower to warm your body temperature. Take a hot bath with bubbles and soak away. Buy premium products with lovely scents.
Cold weather offers a good excuse to quaff a stiff drink of whiskey, wine or brandy to warm you up. What about mulled wine? It smells so good when it’s macerating on the stove or in the fireplace.
Start a jigsaw puzzle or learn bridge or another indoor activity. All ages now are playing mahjong. Have room for a ping-pong table; why not!
Update all your passwords and keep an organized list. Delete unnecessary items on your computer or apps on your phone.
Start to downsize. Get rid of your old tax records, start your taxes, trash paperback books and the mounds of paper, magazines and newspapers you’ve collected. Donate any clothing you no longer wear or haven’t worn in years. Clean out your desk, kitchen and bureau drawers.
Have a hot drink. How about a hot cup of tea, which they’re constantly drinking on all the British TV shows? Drinking it from a pretty mug or teacup makes the exercise so much more delicious. Add a homemade scone (doesn’t matter who made it) and clotted cream or half and half and fresh berries or good jam.
Start a novel; everybody thinks they have at least one in them. Or write a journal entry each day. Or meditate one; one site combines meditation and journaling, two for the price of one.
Do jumping jacks indoors; they’re great aerobic exercise and we just learned they fall into the category of helping to build healthy bones.
Read a book with a good winter scene. Barbara loves Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates and Heidi. Margaret, the old movie buff, likes to watch Sonja Henning movies. She was a Norwegian figure skater and film star, famous on screen in the 1930s and 40s.
Find an outdoor activity you might like such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating or looking at store windows come the holidays. Walk inside a department store if you can find a few that have survived or any indoor mall for a different setting.
Take advantage of cold storage and shipping. Capitalize on nature’s freezer to keep food fresh. Cold weather is the best time to ship wine and chocolates or any food items, including pastries. The contents won’t spoil or melt. If you have an outside space and have used up space in your freezer, which often happens during holiday time, keep your food frozen by putting it outside, preferably on a screened porch or balcony.
Don’t fight the cold. Make a snowman, angels in the snow or have snowball fights, or lace up skates and go for a spin on an outdoor rink. Doing any of these activities and donning the right outerwear will burn calories and keep you in good shape without shivering and thinking, "Baby, it’s so cold outside.”